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The Inclusion of Cultural Elements in College Japanese Teaching

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The Inclusion of Cultural Elements in College Japanese Teaching 2nd International Conference on Social Science and Higher Education (ICSSHE 2016) The Inclusion of Cultural Elements in College Japanese Teaching Wang Shanshan Foreign Language Department Jilin Business and Technology College Changchun, China [email protected] Abstract—Language learning is not an isolated progress, since “ toilet paper or sanitary paper ” in Chinese, but means every language is closely associated with its social culture and “letters” in Japanese[1]. background. Therefore, in Japanese teaching, we not only need to explain Japanese grammar, train the students to use it, but also need to introduce Japanese social culture and background I. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE knowledge. Due to its special ethnic character, its historical Cultural linguists believe that the relationship between complications and its particular geographical environment, language and culture is close, which play mutual roles and Japan has evolved its unique culture. So the introduction of exert mutual influence on each other. On the one hand, Japanese culture knowledge is very important in Japanese language is the foundation of culture, which is a record of teaching course. This paper aims to confirm the feasibility of cultural symbols and is the important carrier of culture. On the including cultural elements in college Japanese teaching and other hand, culture is the power of language creation and explore corresponding strategies to include cultural knowledge in expression, whose content restricts the production and the college Japanese teaching. On the basis of discussing the development direction of language, so that national language relationship between culture and language, the paper makes an in-depth analysis of cultural inclusion in Japanese teaching possesses its own cultural characteristics and forms the through summarizing the distribution of cultural information in characteristics different from other languages. It can be Japanese textbooks. At last, three strategies are proposed explained from the following aspects. respectively to infiltrate Japanese social and cultural knowledge ①Language is the most common and important tool people to Japanese teaching. This paper bases the research on practice, communicate with in social life. Since each society has its namely the distribution of cultural information in college specific culture, language that social members use in Japanese textbooks, which is of practical significance. communication inevitably reflects its culture, so far as to say Keywords—language; culture; Japanese teaching; social that “to a great extent, language is the product of culture and culture; guiding culture and language are inseparable.” ②Like other ethnic languages, Japanese, in the process of Someone said: “it is easy to learn Japanese because we can its formation and development, whose culture plays a decisive roughly know the meaning through analyzing the Chinese role in guidance and restriction, must be learnt in the way to characters in the Japanese sentence”, but it not absolutely true. reflect Japanese culture. From the relationship between Although Japanese is highly affected by Chinese, lying in the language and society, language is a social phenomenon, whose source of the letters in Japanese imitating the component essential attribute is a social communication tool, which canopy or cursive script of Chinese characters, after a long suggests there is a close relationship between language and period of evolution, Japanese has turned into a completely society. Language emerges with the appearance of society and different and independent language. Any language is in the use develops with development of society, which determines that of people who live in a certain context to achieve mutual language should be used in the restriction of society, because communication through spoken or written language form. At when people use language for communication, they must the same time, a particular language is always associated with comply with the established norms of society. Therefore, it is a the nationality or the country in use of it and related to major topic of the current foreign language teaching to conduct historical, cultural and social backgrounds. Because of cultural a further study on the social and cultural factors in language differences between two countries, the same word in Japanese and the conscious cultivation of a cultural insight. and Chinese doesn’t necessarily refer to the same thing. The word “娘”,for example, means “mother” in Chinese, but ③As is known, culture has a broad connotation. Culture is, in Japanese, refers to “daughter or girl”, the word“娘”has in the words of E.B. Tylor, “ that complex whole which totally different meanings in Chinese and Japanese. For another, includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom and any the word “学生” refers to anyone studying in elementary other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of school, middle school and college, but means especially society.” Alternatively, in a contemporary variant, “Culture is “college students” in Japanese. The word “手纸”refers to defined as a social domain that emphasizes the practices, © 2016. The authors - Published by Atlantis Press 572 discourses, and material expressions, which, over time, express active introduction of European and American culture at the the continuities and discontinuities of social meaning of a life same time of the transformation of Confucianism, Shinto and held in common.”[2] Language is an important part of culture Buddhism, striving to make the European culture fusing with and different cultures reflect the similarity or dissimilarity the culture of the three religions, which has formed the unique culture. Goodnough in Cultural anthropology and Linguistics modern culture of Japan. In addition, in the process of the pointed out “the language of a society is one aspect of the absorption of foreign culture, Japan has gradually established a social culture, whose characteristic is reflected as ‘it is the main culture mode of conflict, coexistence and fusion, making the tool of learning culture, people in the process of study and the Japanese people judge things with a relatively eclectic attitude, use of language can gradually obtain whole culture.’”[3] Each thus forming national consciousness on the basis of nation has its own culture, which forms in the specific natural “harmoniousness”, which is throughout all fields of Japanese environment, historical conditions and social realities and has culture, ideology, psychology and life and is as well as its own particularity. performed on the concept of language and its structure. China, to the opposite, belongs to the type to negatively intake because It is obvious that the relationship between language and China's culture stays in a superior position for a long time [6]. culture is very close, no exception of Japanese. To learn As a civilization center, it has been radiated to the surrounding Japanese well, it is necessary to understand Japanese social countries, so Chinese people are proud of China’s excellent culture and habits. cultural tradition and stay in the closed state for a long time. Thus, social and cultural relations between the two countries II. THE NECESSITY TO INCLUDE JAPANESE CULTURE IN have in common, but the great differences are also reflected in COLLEGE JAPANESE TEACHING many aspects. In Japanese teaching, therefore, it is necessary to Different countries have different language, culture and include the culture interpretation, so that college students in customs, and each language reflects a particular culture, so any learning Japanese, on the basis of Japanese culture, will get form of language has a certain cultural connotation. Without twice the result with half the effort. understanding the social culture of a language, it is impossible to correctly understand and use the language. For example, III. THE INCLUSION OF JAPANESE CULTURE IN JAPANESE when Chinese people meet, they tend to ask “Where are you TEACHING going?” or “Have you eaten?”, which doesn’t necessarily mean In actual Japanese teaching process, traditional grammar to know whether the other one really wants to go anywhere or translation method and structure analysis method are still used eat anything but is just a way of greeting. When Japanese by the teacher whose emphasis is put on imparting knowledge. “こんにちは people meet with each other, they tend to say ! Japanese teachers generally adopt vocabulary and grammar いいお天氘ですね.” (Hello! It’s a fine day today! ) or analysis and sentence pattern practice, but this teaching mode “よく降りますね.” (It’s always raining! ), mostly to talk attaches too much importance to Japanese grammar structure about good weather condition. Although they ask “どちら analysis and only puts emphasis on mastery of the three へ?” (Where are you going), the other one simply respond elements of phonetics, vocabulary and grammar. If teachers with “ちょっとそこまで.” (I am going there.) [4] For spare most efforts in the analysis of Japanese sentence patterns another, making a phone call is also a matter of language habits. and grammar and the interpretation of article reading and When Chinese people answer a phone call, they often ask examination skills, context and pragmatics are ignored at the “Hey, who are you?” or “Whom do you want to talk to?”, same time, which is bound to students’ incapability in but when Japanese people answer a phone call, they often tell nonverbal behavior, cultural identification and intercultural the other one their name or unit and then talk. In addition, communication. Thus, students, in the process of the actual Chinese don’t pay particular attention to their speech and act communication, lack of ability to apply appropriate language in during having a meal. If there is a guest having dinner together, appropriate places, that is to say, they’re often incapable to use the host tends to let the guest start eating first, but on Japanese Japanese flexibly according to occasion, or even use verbal communication standard of Chinese culture to use Japanese, dining table, a guest first says “い た だ き ま す.” (Sorry, I making a joke and causing communication failure at last.
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